We found it ironic that it was a psychology professor who went into a rant and could not control himself in his Feb. 15 letter. He spewed venom at those of us who believe the book of Genesis. What got his dander up? Our belief that dinosaurs and humans coexisted, which prompted him to shriek that this idea is “as obscene a lie as ever perpetrated on the American public” and is “completely lacking in evidence.”
There is strong evidence, however, that dinosaurs probably did not die out 65 million years ago. For example, soft tissue inside a T-rex bone (which includes elastic blood vessels, with red blood cells) has been discovered. If dinosaurs perished 65 million years ago, how in the world could the soft tissue have possibly survived and not disappeared 64 million years ago? Such preservation is highly compelling evidence that dinosaurs have been around in recent times.
One of our full-time scientists, Dr. David Menton (he holds a PhD in biology from an Ivy League school) has written much about this fascinating T-rex bone, and his articles are available at www.AnswersInGenesis.org. Also, other evidence for dinosaur and human coexistence is presented in our Creation Museum in northern Kentucky.
The psychologist’s second outrage (to use his word) was his comment about the full-size Ark we are building in northern Kentucky. He declared that “the state of Kentucky is giving this clown (describing our president, Ken Ham – now how is that for a scholarly word?) millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when real education is being cut by millions in this state to turn his lies into a water park.” Putting aside the fact that the Ark Encounter is no waterpark, but a historically themed attraction, we point out that no state monies will be used to construct the facility. Taxpayers will not see their money used to build or operate the Ark Encounter; no money will be taken out of the state’s budget to fund the Ark. Instead, the finished Ark will add much-needed tourism dollars to the state coffers, which will help state programs like education, not take money away. It’s a net gain for Kentucky if the Ark is built here and not in another state.
Now, if the Ark meets attendance goals and sees tourism dollars flow into the state, the Ark Encounter will receive partial rebates on sales taxes paid by the Ark visitors. At the end of an operating year, any money going back to the attraction will originate from those who chose to visit; no unwilling taxpayer will subsidize the Ark (and thus there is no establishment of religion). Neither is anyone being forced to visit and hear about the Bible’s history, including its account of the Ark.
As a former evolutionist who once accepted a belief that dinosaurs died out millions of years before humans, I ask readers to use their critical thinking skills and look at both sides of the evolution/creation argument. And may cooler heads prevail.
Letter from Mark Looy, chief communications officer with Answers in Genesis.
Sadly this is not a case where both sides have a valid point to make. One side has countless academic publications based on many years of research and peer review. The other side has one book, written thousands of years ago by nomadic sheep herders.
From this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfpmCDIQHOA.
Question: “How did men get the dinosaurs to not buck them off of their saddles when people rode them?
Ken Ham's Answer: "I…. I don’t know where people get the idea that people rode dinosaurs. I mean, there’s no evidence in the Bible that that is so. When Job was looking at Behemoth, the description there… there’s nothing to do with people riding dinosaurs."
Ken Ham's own Children's book, Dinosaurs of Eden (Ken Ham projects you back to the Garden of Eden and to the real world inhabited by dinosaurs), which he wrote himself and sells on his website, depicts people riding dinosaurs. You can even climb on a saddled Stegosaurus and have your picture taken at his Creation Museum in Kentucky. Ken just doesn't know where people get the idea that people rode dinosaurs? Ken really doesn't know?
The Creation Museum is nothing more than a showcase for the ridiculous (yet profitable) ideas promoted by Ken Ham and Answers In Genesis Ministries. It's not a museum in the sense that it promotes actual historical events or scientific discoveries, it is the largest collection of misinformation, lies, and fantasy regarding the literal biblical translation of Genesis and the erroneous belief the Earth is a mere 6000 years old. I applaud William Zingrone for speaking out against The Creation Museum and his comparison to lying to children about Santa Clause was spot on.